Steering mechanism



NOV. 17, 1936. 5 VORECH STEERING MECHANISM vFiled March 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 17, 1936. s. VORECH STEERING MECHANISM Filed'March 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i Patented Nov. 17, 1936 STEERING MEGHANISM Stephen Vorech, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Bendix-Westinghouse Automotive Air Brake Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application March 1935, Serial No. 9,468

8 Claims.

This invention relates to steering apparatus and more particularly to power-operated apparatus especially adapted for use with the steering mechanism of motor vehicles.

One of the objects of the present invention is 2 mechanism of the type employing a fluid pressure motor, a novel, hydraulically-operated valve mechanism for controlling the application of fluid pressure to the motor, said mechanism being quickly and readily responsive to manually-applied controlling movements.

A further object is to provide, in a mechanism of the above character which includes a lever system for actuating the valve apparatus, a novel, combined hydraulic damping device and motor 30 for such valve apparatus, the construction being such that oscillation tendencies due to road shocks will be effectively damped while enabling ready operation of the device through manually-applied force to efficiently operate said valve apparatus. Additional objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed'desc ription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein several embodiments of the invention are illustrated. It is to be expressly understood,

however, that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings-r wherein similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a motor vehicle power steering apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of certain'of, the levers shown in Fig. 1;

Fig-Bis a perspective view, partly in section, of

to permit manual steering in the event of power 4 rocated longitudinally in either direction. In ora slightly modified form of the power steering mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the lever arrangement shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is an end sectional view of a slightly 5 modified form of the damping device of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly'to Fig. 1, the pres-' ent invention is illustrated therein as including a manually-operable steering column 5 adapted to control the flow of fluid power to a double-acting motor 6 which, upon operation in either direction, is adapted to eflcct oscillation of a power-operated pitman or steering arm I having a connection 8 to a drag link 9 of a conventional type of vehicle steering mechanism.

Means are provided for controlling the application of fluid to the motor 6, and as shown, su'ch means are manually operated through rotation of the steering column 5 in either direction. As shown, the valve mechanism l0 comprising similar valve devices H and I2 is adapted to be selectively operated by a rocker arm l3 pivotally' connected as by means of a pin H to a stationary casing I5, the rocker being suitably connected to an actuating rod I6 which is adapted to be recipder to effect such reciprocation of the valve control valve by the steering column 5, a worm I! carried by the steering column meshes with a worm segment l8 suitably secured to a shaft IS, the latter being rotataby mounted in the vehicle frame. An arm 20, also secured to the shaft-l9, is pivotally connected to the lower end 'of a valve-operating lever 2| which in turn is pivotally mounted as at 22 to the pitman arm I. The upper end portion of the valve-operating lever 2| is so formed as to surround" shaft l9, there being provided, however, a slight amount of play or lost motion 23 between the arm 2| and the shaft in order to effect reciprocation of the valve-operating rod l6 when the arm 2| is moved about its pivotal connection 22.

One of the features of the present invention resides in the provision of dashpot or damping means associated with the lever 2| in order to cushion or damp the oscillatory movement of said lever due to road shocks, for example, which would otherwise effect reciprocation of the valve control rod l6 and cause operation of the valve mechanism Ht when it is not desired to supply any fluid to the motoni. To this end, the upper portion 24 of lever 2| is so formed as to provide a dashpot and includes an enlargement provided 4 with a central opening 25 which surrounds the shaft l9 as heretofore stated with a certain degree of lost motion 23 therebetween, it being observed from Fig. 2 that an axially-extending hub portion 26 formedon the pitman arm I is rotatably mounted on the'shaft i9 and is interposed. between the latter and the wall of the opening 25. The end 24 is also so formed as to provide a pair of opposed" cylinders 21 and 28 which are in communication through duct 29, there being disposeda restriction 30 in said duct in order to retard the flow of fluid from one cylinder to the other. Within each respective cylinder, pistons 3| and 32 are positioned which bear against the hub portion 26 and in the normal position of the parts as shown in Fig. 1 permit communication between the cylinders through the duct 29. It will be noted, however, that during oscillatory movement of 'the lever 22, the end 24? of said lever moves in one direction or another, such movement being damped by the passage of the fluid in one or the other direction through the restricted duct 29 in response to the relative movement between the cylinders and pistons, it being understood that the cylin ders and the duct are normally completely filled with some suitable hydraulic fluid such as oil, for example.

Referring more particularly to the valves it audit, each comprises a casing 33, one portion of which is adapted to communicate through an municating with a transverse passage 39 connected with exhaust passage 3%. The element 37 is resiliently-urged upwardly as shown, by means of a spring 40, the same being confined between said element and a portion M of the casing 33. The portion 6| forms an inlet port which is normally closed by a combined inlet and exhaust valve 42 resiliently urged as by means of a spring 43 to the position shown where the space below the piston communicates with the atmosphere through port 38 and passage 36 and wherein such spaceis cut off from the intake passage 3%. The piston 3'! is providedwith a stem 44 in constant engagement with an adjustable screw 65 carried by the rocker It, the construction being such that each of the springs 40 of the valves ii and I2 tends to center the rocker and thus maintain the above described valve parts inthe position shown 'in Fig. 1.

From the above, .it will be readily understood that upon operation of the valve I l, for example, to depress member 46, the piston 37 will be moved downwardly to contact valve 42, thus closing oi the exhaust port 38 and opening intake N thereby permitting fluid under pressure to flow into the valve chamber beneath the piston and effect-v ing a reaction in opposition to the force applied to operate the valve, the chamber beneath the piston being suitably associated through conduit 46in the case of valve II ,and 41 in the case of valve l2 with opposite ends of the fluid motor t. It will be readily apparent that the pressure 08 the fluid within the valve chamber beneath the piston elements will be the same as the fluid pressure required for steering under the various conditions of operation and that consequently the piston elements of the valves will ofier a reaction to the operator through the connections between the valves and the steering column 5 in Slidably mounted in a degree proportional to the power required for steering.

With the above named construction, normal manual operation of the steering. column in such a direction as to provide actuation of valve H 5 forexample, will effect a downward movement of the valve element 42 as heretofore set forth, thus establishing communication between the source of fluid pressure and the space beneath the piston 31. Fluid pressure then flows through conduit 10 46 to the left of the piston 48 of the motor 6 to move the said piston to the right as viewed in Fig. l, the steering arm 1 being moved in a counthe steering column 5, on the other hand, in a 29 terclockwise direction about shaft is and through the pivotal connection 22 tending to move the 1 rod l6 to the right, thus lessening the force ap plied to valve Ii and permitting the latter to be moved to lapped position by the fluid pressure beneath the piston element ti. Movement of direction to operate valve It, will serve to supply fluid pressure to the right of piston as in the motor 6 to efiect steeringmovement of the arm 7 in the opposite direction from that above described, and upon cessation of movement of'the 25 steering column, the motor 6 will tend to move the valve-operating lever 25 in such a direction. as to enable valve l2 to move to lapped position.

As heretofore pointed out. one of the features of the present invention resides in the damping 30 It will tend-to be moved to the right by the lever 2i to operate the control valve 52. By reason of the hydraulic damping device constituted by cylinders 21 and 28 together with pistons 3i and 32, however, valve-operating oscillatory. move- A ment of the lever 2i will be damped, and the road shock will be absorbed by the compression;

of the liquid in the said cylinders which, asheretofore stated, are restrictedly in communication oscillating tendencies of the steering mechanism throughthe-duct 29. Thus road shoclm or other will be effectively damped and power; operation will only be had during manually-operated controlling movements of the steering column.

A slightly modified form of the invention is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the difference between 55 this form and the form heretofore described residing in the utilization of the hydraulicdamping fluid for not only absorbing road shocks but also for operating the valve mechanism which supplies the power fluid to the power actuator. 6

Referring more particularly to Fig.3, the valvecontrolling lever 50, similar to the corresponding lever 2| of Fig. 1, is provided with damping cylinders 5i and 52 having pistons" 53 and-54 therein, the cylinders communicating through duct 55 65 having a restriction 56 interposed therein. Each of the cylinders, however, also communicates with valve mechanisms H and I2 by. means of suitable cbnduits in order to convey the damping fluid within the cylinders to the valve devices for operation of the latter. As shown, the cylinder 5| is connected by a conduit 51 with a chamber 58 of valve l2, the latter containing a piston 59 secured directly to the pressure-responsive element 31. The cylinder 52 is connected by means 75 "the same time the valve-operating lever 50 will of a conduit 60 with a chamber 6| having a piston 62 therein directly connected with the pressureresponsive element 31 of valve device II. The remaining elements of the structure of the modiflcation shown in Fig. 3 are similar to those utilizedin connection with the-form of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

In operation of the modified form of the invention, rotation of the steering column 5 in such a direction as to efiect clockwise movement of the lever 20 will serve to move the valve-actuating lever l5 in a clockwise direction about the pivotal connection 22 betweensaid lever and'the pitman arm I. The upper portion 24 of the lever 50, during such movement, will serve to decrease the volume of ,the cylinder 5i and the' fluid will be initially by-passed to the cylinder 52 through the duct 55. As soon as the piston 53 covers the duct 55 leading into the cylinder 5i, however, the remaining fluid will pass through the conduit 51 into chamber 58 of valve device l2 in order to cause downward movement of the piston 59 and consequent operation of the valve It, thus serving to admit fluid pressure to the motor 5 at the right of the piston 48. Upon movement of the latter to the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, the steering mechanism of the'vehicle will be moved in the proper direction through the drag link 9 and'at be moved in a counterclockwise direction about its lower end, acting'as a pivot, in. order to permit centering of the upper end 24 of the valve-operating lever and thus permit a lapping of the valve device. Movement of the steering column 5 in the opposite direction will, in a similar manner, open valve II to admit fluid pressure to the opposite side of the piston 48 and thus cause steering of the vehicle in the other direction. From the above construction, it will be readily perceived that road shocks transmitted through the drag link 9 to the valve-operating mechanism will be absorbed by the fluid in the dashpot arrangement in a manner'similar to that shown in Fig. 1. According to the sizes of the various ducts and the by-pass 55, it is also contemplated that the hydraulic damping device in this form of the invention will actuate the valves Ii or l2 in a different phase relation with respect to the oscillating steering system. Thus with such non-synchronous operation of the valves in response to road shocks, the reciprocations of the motor 6, a highly undesirable condition, would be quickly arrested or damped.

In Fig. 5, aslightly modified form of the damping device of Fig. 3 is illustrated and which omits the hydraulic by-pass. In this form of the in-' vention, oscillating tendencies of the valve-controlling lever 50, due to road shocks (for example, are damped through the use of choke devices 10 and H positioned within cylinders 12 and 13 respectively and provided with openings 14 and 15. Each choke is normally held against a seat 11 by means of a fitting I8, threadedly received by the cylinders and provided with an end portion 15 engaging the choke. As in the case of Fig. 3, the cylinders I2 and 13 as well as conduits 51 and 60 are filled with a suitable hydraulic sponse to usual steering movement, which is relatively slow, as compared to movement of the lever 50 in accordance with road shocks. However, in the event of a road shock which tends to cause a rapid movement of .thelever 50 with respect to the pistons 53 and 54, such movement' .will be rapidly damped by reason of the liquid trapped between the chokes and the pistons and the small openings 14 and 15 through which the liquid must pass. Thus this form of the invention, while omitting the by-pass' of the other modifications, yet retains the desirable feature of hydraulic damping as well as that of fluid operation of the control valves.

It will be observed that in all forms of the invention, in the event of power failure, manual operation of the vehicle steering mechanism may be had as soon as the lost motion 23 has been taken up between the upper end 24 of the valvecontrollinglevers and the hub 26 of the pitman arm I. This construction also enables combined manual and power operation so that the device is capable of operation either solely as a power steering mechanism, a manually-operated steering device with power assistance, or as a simple, manually-controlled steering arrangement.

There is thus provided by the present invention a novel steering mechanism so constituted as to be readily operable in a manner similar to manually-controlled steering mechanisms now in use. The provision of the fluid shock absorber or damping device in connection with the steering arrangement disclosed enables ready and eflicient absorption of road shocks or other oscillations caused by the vehicle steering apparatus to the end that undesired operation of the power unit is avoided. The construction is such, however, that the shock absorber feature does not hinder in any way the proper operation of the power device, and in two of the forms of the invention, the hydraulic damping fluid has been utilized for operating the valves controlling the flow of fluid to the, power motor.

While several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but is capable of a variety of mechanical expressions as will now be apparent to those said arm, valve means for controlling the flow of fluid to and from said motor, and means including a lever for operating said valve means, said lever having an operative connection at one end with said shaft, anda lost motion connection at its other end with said shaft, the lost motion connection including a hydraulic damping 2. In a power-operated steering mechanism for vehicles having an osclllatable steering arm, a fluidmotor operatively connected with said arm, valve means for establishing a flow of fluid to and from said motor, and means including an oscillatable manually controlled lever for oper- ,ating said valve means, said lever having a hydraulic damping device associated with one end thereof, saiddevice having a pair of chambers in restricted communication together with pistons therein disposed on either side of said steering arm and abutting the latter.

3.'In a steering mechanism for irotor vehicles having apower-operated steering arm, a fluid mooperated valve means for controllin'g ihe admission of fluid pressure to said motor, including a manually-operable lever pivotallyoennected with said arm for controlling the flow o! motive fluid to said valve means to render the latter operative, one end of said lever being formed as a'dashpot for preventing sudden and abrupt operation of said valve means.

4'. Ina steering mechanism for motor vehicles having a power-operated steering arm, a fluid motor operatively connected with said arm, bydraulically-operated reactive valve means for controlling the admission of fluid pressure to said motor, said valve means including a pressureresponsive element subjected to the pressure of the fluid conducted to said motor, a manuallyoperable lever pivotally connected with said arm. a hydraulic device carried by said lever ior damp- .ening abrupt relative movement between the latter and arm, and means for connecting said device and valve means whereby the latter ishydraulically operated when the lever is moved relatively to said arm, the motive fluid acting upon said pressure-responsive element in opposition to the pressure of the fluid conducted to said motor. I 7

5. In a power steering mechanism for :motor vehicles, a manually-operable shaft, a steering arm, a fluid motor operatively connected with said arm, means including a pair of pivotally-connected members for connecting said shaft and arm, means for limiting the extent of pivotal movement of one of said members relative to the other, fluid-operated valve means for controlling the flow of fluid to said motor, and a combined hydraulic damping and motion-transmitting device-carried by one of said members and communicating with said fluid-operated power means.

6. In a steering mechanism for motor vehicles having a steering arm, a fluidhnotor operatively connected with said arm, fluid-operated valve means tor controlling the admission oi! fluid pres- ,l sure to said motor, said valve means including a fluid receiving chamber, an oscillatable manualiv-controlled lever pivotally connected with said arm and having a limited amount of relative pivotal movement with respect thereto, a fluid pressure damping device for damping said relative pivotal movement, said device including a reservoir of fluid, means connecting said reservoir and said chamber, and means for increasing the pressure of the fluid in said reservoir during said relative pivotal movement to operate said valv'egneans.

'1. In a steering mechanism for motor vehicles having a steering arm, a fluid motor operatively connected with said am, hydraulically-operated valve means for controlling the admission of fluid pressure to said motor, a member pivotally connected with said arm and having a limited relative movement inopposite directions with respect draulic dashpot movable with said member, and

means for conducting liquid from said dashpot to said first named means. 

